Dibaba and Cheruiyot Win on the Roads

New Year’s Eve races were prolific around the world, and while the U.S. is waiting another couple of weeks to decide the batting order for marathon at the London Olympics, the east Africans’ results show a coming war to be waged on the stadium’s track. Vivian Cheruiyot, the Kenyan distance star of right now, and Tirunesh Dibaba, the Ethiopian distance star of two years ago, both threw down impressive performances. The biggest news is Dibaba, who seems to be healthy as she enters 2012 attempting to defend her 2008 Olympic double gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m. Cheruiyot, who completed her own distance double at the 2011 world championships in Daegu, South Korea, will be her biggest test. Dibaba is the one to watch in 2012 to see if she can translate this early result, promising as it may be, into momentum for a repeat of her Olympic golds.

Emerald Nuts Midnight Run – New York, New York

In the 33rd edition of the Midnight Run, held annually on New Year’s Eve in Central Park, Landon Peacock and Stephanie Pezzullo were the men’s and women’s winners, respectively, in the 4-mile race. Peacock, of Blowing Rock, N.C., is a ZAP Fitness athlete and former Wisconsin Badger (2010), who clocked 18:35 for the distance. In November, he was the runner-up at the Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Conn. (21:38, 4.7 miles).

Peacock was 3 seconds ahead of Ethiopian Tesfaye Dube (18:48), who lives in the city and runs for the West Side Runners club. Stephen Pifer, a 3:56 miler with Nike Oregon TC, was third in 18:48, and Timothy Ritchie of the Boston Athletic Association was fourth in 18:57. In fifth was Brendan Martin of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in 19:02.

In the women’s race, Pezzullo, a former semi-pro soccer player discovered by ZAP Fitness coach Pete Rea (Pezzullo is now with the Sun Elite Track Club), drew out a win over the marathon-fatigued Sarah Porter of ZAP Fitness, 21:05 to 21:17.

Pezzullo, a Penn State alumna in Charlotte, N.C., is a steeplechase specialist (9:56 PR), and advanced to the finals at the 2011 USATF Championships, where she finished 13th. Porter is a 32:57 10,000m runner and 2011 NCAA DII champion who made her marathon debut in New York in November with a 2:44:25 effort. In third was Carmen Douma-Hussar, and Katie DiCamillo was fourth (21:26 and 21:38, respectively).

In the 10K (men) and 5K (women) race, Edwin Soi and Vivian Cheruiyot took wins in the 37th edition of the Italian classic held New Year’s Eve.

Cheruiyot of Kenya, the 2011 5000m and 10,000m World champion (and reining world cross country champion), edged Ethiopia’s Afera Godfay, with both runners recording a time of 16:03.

If you aren’t familiar with Cheruiyot (Track and Field News’ 2011 Athlete of the Year), her credentials in 2011 alone have made her legendary. With the distance double in Daegu, South Korea at the World Championships, four Diamond League 5000m wins (winning the 2011 title by a landslide, as she did in 2010), and a Kenyan national record (14:20.87), Cheruiyot has gone so far as predicting that she would go sub-14:00 in 2012 — which would be over 11 seconds faster than the current world record (Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, 14:11.15, in 2008).

Godfay was eighth in the junior race at the 2010 world cross country championships, and her road time is now faster than her modest 5,000m time of 16:14.28. In third was Italy’s Silvia Weissteiner in 16:14.

In the men’s race, Soi won a close race over Wilson Kiprop, 28:16 to 28:17. Imane Merga was third in 28:57.

Soi was the bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympics, and prior to that, a seven-time IAAF World Athetics medalist in the 3000m and 5000m between 2006-09 (three gold, three silver, one bronze). Though his peak seems to have passed, Soi has continued to be visible on the road racing scene. His win this year’s race brings his total up to four, one away from the event’s record.

Kiprop, the reigning world half marathon titleist, was the aggressor for most of the race, but could not counter Soi’s final sprint down the straightaway. Merga, last year’s winner and the reigning World Cross Country champion, was hampered by a foot injury in the final lap.

On New Year’s Eve, Ethiopians Hagos Gebrehiwot and Tirunesh Dibaba were the men’s and women’s winners in this 47th running of the race.

Are you familiar with Gebrehiwot? No? Well, you’re not alone. As a late entrant to the race, the 17-year-old came from nowhere and out-leaned pre-race favorite Teklemariam Medhin of Eritrea, with both athletes clocking a 27:57 finish.

Coming through the half in 13:44 in a pack of eight, the two pulled away at 6.5K and despite being covered with shaving cream (a curious mid-race spectator tradition), battled it all the way to the line. Gebrehiwot, whose scant recorded performances include a 7:45.11 3,000m track performance, confessed after the race that it was his first time being drug tested. In third was Ayad Lamdassem of Spain in 28:10.

In the women’s race, Dibaba, the 2008 Olympic 5000m/10,000m champ, edged compatriot Gelete Burka (African record-holder in the mile, 4:18.23, 2008), with both women being clocked at 31:30. Susan Partridge of Great Britain was third in 32:44, and acquitted drug cheat Marta Domínguez of Spain was fourth in 32:49.

The most interesting storyline from the race is Dibaba. With the aforementioned rise of Kenya’s Cheruiyot (Dibaba is two years her junior) filling the talent vacuum left after her injury in 2009, Dibaba’s return to health and fitness sets the stage for an epic clash in the 2012 Olympics this summer in London.

Dibaba, nicknamed “The Babyfaced Destroyer” (seriously, can there be a better nickname?), is the world record-holder for 5,000m outdoors as well as indoors, and a 15km road world record-holder (46:28). She’s a four-time World Champion (5,000m and 10,000m), and her list of accomplishments is as overwhelming as Cheruiyot’s. Her health going into an Olympic year is some of the best news a distance fan could get this holiday season.

Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo earned wins at the 87th edition of the 15K race, held on New Year’s Eve. Bekele, younger brother of Keninisa Bekele, dropped the pack at 7K to run uncontested in the men’s race, breaking tape in 43:35. Behind him was University of Wyoming alumnus Mark Korir of Kenya in 43:58. U.S. all-comers half marathon record-holder (58:46, 2011) Matthew Kisorio of Kenya was third in 44:12, and former London and New York City marathon champion Martin Lel, also of Kenya, was fourth in 44:28. Hometown hero and two-time NYC Marathon champ Marílson Gomes dos Santos finished a disappointing eighth (and second Brazilian) in 45:06. Bekele has been training with his elder brother in preparation for the world indoor championships (March 9-12 in Istanbul).

In the women’s race, Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya, silver medalist in the marathon at the 2011 world championships, took time away from the European cross country circuit to destroy the course record of 48:48.

Also wiping the mud off long enough to take to the roads was Ayelew Wude of Ethiopia, who took the runner-up spot in 48:52. Eunice Kirwa of Kenya was third in 50:58. Adriana Aparecida da Silva of Brazil, the 2011 Pan American Games marathon gold medalist, is apparently coming off her win nicely, as she finished eighth in 52:15.

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